The inventive concepts disclosed herein relate generally to a tray table assembly used in an aircraft passenger seating unit, and particularly a seating unit that provides stowage of the tray table in proximity to one side of the seat. The tray table may be positioned in a stowage module under the armrest when stowed, and may be deployed by pivoting the tray table from the stowage module into a deployed position in front of the passenger. In the deployed position the tray table may be translated fore or aft, as desired.
The ability to translate the tray table fore and aft when deployed presents the problem of the tray table not being centered as necessary in order to enter the opening to the stowage module when the passenger desires to move the tray table back into the stowage module. In a non-centered position the tray table can hit and damage the stowage module or surrounding furniture as the tray table moved towards the stowed position. Any such impact can cause unsightly scratches that detract from the appearance of the seating unit, and repeated such impacts can cause sufficient damage to require the seating unit to be taken out of service for repair or part replacement.
For this reason, it is desirable to provide an automatic stowage feature that centers the tray table in relation to an entrance to the stowage module so that the tray table enters the stowage module smoothly and without manual adjustment of the position thereof by the seat occupant.